Delhi.
The 5th largest city in the whole world with over 25 million people crammed ungracefully
inside its borders. A mixture of semi-modernity and
poverty. Where downtown resembles more
of a trash dump than a hotspot.
Where the name of God has often been heard but rarely understood. Where idols stand on every street and every corner
of the city, representing the population’s desperate hope in their desperate future. But God loves this city so I will learn to as well.
As much as I have a love/hate relationship with this
city, we are going to be moving back to there much earlier than planned. This Sunday, July 1st, we’ll be
heading back there for good. The
original plan was to stay in the mountains till late September, but God saw fit
to mix that up a little. Between the four of us, we can’t seem to stay well
here. L has had a small relapse of
typhoid and we’re continually worried about John being sick. Part of that reason is the food and water, since
we have no control over how it’s prepared.
Indians are not known for their sanitary habits….let’s just leave it at
that. Other reasons include business, and M’s boss has called him back to
the city.
So it’s goodbye to mountain life and hello to the heat of the
city. There are pros and cons to
leaving. The biggest con is the
heat. All summer, it’ll be about 120
degrees on a regular basis, and along with that, the humidity of the monsoon
season will be at its most aggressive.
Thankfully we’ll have air conditioning where we live (which we don’t
have now), but I still think that a temperature that hot belongs on an oven and
not outside. I might melt.
But the pros outweigh any regrets I have about leaving the
beautiful environment of Landour and Mussoorie.
L&M will be able to set up their home and not have to live
in a guesthouse. They’ll have more
control about how their food is prepared and what they feed John. No more suitcases, no more living out of a
box. I’ll even be able to have my own
apartment for a couple months. I haven’t
seen it yet, but apparently it’s “okay” in L’s words. It’s what you might typically think of an
Indian apartment. But I’ll have AC! Very important. :)
I’ll miss the mountains for sure, but there are some things
I won’t miss. In the city, the people are
much more used to foreigners, and although still rude and obnoxious, they are
much better than the people in Mussoorie in regards to white females. Perfect example: the other day I got to
school a little early and was waiting in my classroom for my teacher. Some tourists came in to the building,
checking out the architecture.
Apparently they weren’t supposed to be in the building while class was
in session, but I didn’t feel like it was my place to say so. The Indian family came in to look at the room
and found me sitting there, and between my limited Hindi and their limited
English, we spoke for about 5 minutes.
They left, and I heard them meet up with my teacher down the hall as she
was coming towards the classroom. She
came back in and told me that they, not knowing she was the teacher, had told
her that it was now her turn to go talk to the white woman in the room. Apparently they thought I was some kind of
tourist attraction. I couldn’t help but
laugh, but I thought…really?? Am I that different?? Here’s hoping that the city will be better.
Living in the city will offer many more conveniences than in
Landour. There are malls, coffee shops,
and places to get American food. I’ll also
have many more opportunities to visit orphanages, girls’ hostels, and
schools. We have a lot of connections
there, and I’m excited about what’s ahead for me. Pray that I have the courage to take the chances
given to me. One more week here to enjoy the mountains,
then we’re off to a whole new world. I’ll
have to get used to another new normal, but this one should be adventurous to
say the least.
Other than that, the only other thing that’s been going on
with me has been a week of insomnia. In
6 days, I’ve gotten less than 15 hours of sleep. Things that being exhausted beyond belief has
NOT helped: learning Hindi, culture shock (which has hit big time), a battle with
a spider as big as my palm (didn’t handle that well at all), and dealing with throbs
of people who think I come from a circus.
No fun, I tell you. But thankfully
I got a full night of sleep last night so we’re on our way back to normal. Huge praise!
I must say that I’m learning the hard way how crucial it is
to be in the Word every day. I’m quite a
slow learner it seems, and I often choose the most difficult path of self-pity
before I decide to allow the joy of the Lord to be my strength. Psalm 19:7-14 has been a passage I go to
continually. It shows me that
refreshment, joy, strength, and wisdom have one source: God and His Word. How often I forget.
Anyways, I’ll keep you updated on life here. Sometimes I hesitate to write updates too often because
life becomes mundane here just as it does in the States, so I don’t want to
bore you. But -- If anyone has any
questions about stuff or thoughts or feedback I’d LOVE to hear it. Facebook is a great way to do that.
Keep praying – pray for our move to the city and that we
adjust quickly to city life. L&M finding an apartment as fast as possible is really crucial!
And on the typhoid front, I’m doing just fine. Since L is struggling with a relapse
(manageable by antibiotics), I’m a little worried that with a weakened immune
system from not sleeping, it could be possible for me, but so far I’m feeling
great. Thank you for your love and
prayers! I need them now more than
normal. Culture shock has set in a
little and I’m needing extra grace. :)
Love to all!
